US late-night TV comic show Jimmy Kimmel taken off air over remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death
Kimmel said that Trump’s response to Kirk’s death “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?”
US broadcaster ABC on Wednesday suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely, after comments made about Charlie Kirk’s killing led a group of affiliated stations to say it would not air the show.Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death “are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates.The veteran late-night comic who recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Host For A Game Show, made remarks about the reaction to the conservative activist’s assassination last week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday and Tuesday nights.Kimmel had said, among other remarks, that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”Kimmel said that Trump’s response to Kirk’s death “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?”ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group said it would pull the show starting Wednesday.There was no immediate comment from Kimmel, whose contract is up in May 2026. ABC’s statement did not cite a reason for why his show was preempted.Trump celebrates Kimmel's yank-off.US President Donald Trump who is currently on a state visit to the UK took to his social media platform Truth Social, to celebrate ABC’s move. Trump wrote, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”Earlier in the day, Brendan Carr, Chairman of the US regulator FCC, called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and said his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation.He said the comic appeared to be making an intentional effort to mislead the public into believing that Kirk’s assassin was a right-wing Trump supporter.During his Monday evening monologue, Kimmel suggested Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, might have been a pro-Trump Republican. “The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said on the Benny Johnson podcast. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”More of what Kimmel said on his showJimmy returned to the topic on Tuesday night, mocking Vice President JD Vance’s performance as guest host for Kirk’s podcast.He said Trump was “fanning the flames” by attacking people on the left. “Which is it? Are they a bunch of sissy pickleball players because they’re too scared to be hit by tennis balls, or a well-organised deadly team of commandos? Because they can’t be both of those things.”Charlie Kirk, an American far-right campaigner and founder of Turning Point USA, was murdered last week during a debate at Utah Valley. His death stunned the US and has exposed deep divisions in what was already a polarised and charged political climate.Many of Kirk's comments in debates he held during his political campaigns have stirred controversy, with liberals and opponents rejecting any attempts to honour his life.In response, the Trump administration and his MAGA base have stepped up efforts to police speech about Kirk’s death.Earlier this week, US Vice President JD Vance, a friend of Kirk, urged Americans to turn in fellow citizens who mocked the assassination, while Carr has launched investigations of outlets that have angered Trump.